Fire and rain: Drivers of deep-time ecosystem assembly in Australia. This project aims to investigate the influence of bushfires and shifting rainfall patterns on the development of Australia’s dominant ecosystems. By combining a range of novel geochemical, isotopic and palaeontological techniques, this research seeks to reveal the causes and consequences of Australia’s transformation from a forested to mainly open landscape of grassland, shrubland and savannah. The expected outcome is detailed ....Fire and rain: Drivers of deep-time ecosystem assembly in Australia. This project aims to investigate the influence of bushfires and shifting rainfall patterns on the development of Australia’s dominant ecosystems. By combining a range of novel geochemical, isotopic and palaeontological techniques, this research seeks to reveal the causes and consequences of Australia’s transformation from a forested to mainly open landscape of grassland, shrubland and savannah. The expected outcome is detailed knowledge of how changes in fire and rain shaped the ecology and evolution of plants and animals. This knowledge is key to understanding how Australian ecosystems function and to protecting their cultural, economic and environmental values, especially as climate and fire regimes continue to change into the future.Read moreRead less
Climate extremes and landscape responses across continental Australia. This project aims to determine the magnitude, frequency and duration of dry and wet extremes across the Australian continent over the last thousand years and examine landscape responses to such climate extremes. Using terrestrial records from key lake locations, the project expects to construct a record of mega-lakes and mega-droughts and determine whether such climatic phenomena are becoming more frequent or severe through t ....Climate extremes and landscape responses across continental Australia. This project aims to determine the magnitude, frequency and duration of dry and wet extremes across the Australian continent over the last thousand years and examine landscape responses to such climate extremes. Using terrestrial records from key lake locations, the project expects to construct a record of mega-lakes and mega-droughts and determine whether such climatic phenomena are becoming more frequent or severe through time. The project will develop palaeoclimatic data at sub-centennial resolution, examining the spatial coherence of the climate extremes. The project will integrate this with both the historical record and global climate modelling, allowing us to assess the dominant oceanographic and atmospheric conditions that lead to such extremes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100160
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$410,175.00
Summary
The environment and human origins in the Kalahari, South Africa. This project aims to test and expand on existing understandings of early modern human origins and human-environment interaction. South Africa has a rich archaeological record documenting the origins of our species. However, current research is biased toward coastal rockshelter sites. This project will expand the narrative of modern human origins away from the coast to investigate the distribution and success of early modern humans ....The environment and human origins in the Kalahari, South Africa. This project aims to test and expand on existing understandings of early modern human origins and human-environment interaction. South Africa has a rich archaeological record documenting the origins of our species. However, current research is biased toward coastal rockshelter sites. This project will expand the narrative of modern human origins away from the coast to investigate the distribution and success of early modern humans in the deep interior of the country. Through the excavation and dating of newly discovered deposits at Gamohana Hill North Rockshelter, archaeological materials analysis, and local studies of palaeohydrology, this study will generate a new record of early human-environment interaction. Its methods will inform the study of comparable sites in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100907
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$426,715.00
Summary
Investigating the synchroneity of global atmospheric shifts in the Holocene. The austral mid-latitude westerly winds dominate Southern Hemisphere climate variability today (including the Australasian region) and are tightly coupled to the Southern Ocean, modulating the air-sea CO2 flux. However, short instrumental records in the south make future climate projections uncertain. This Project will develop the first highly-detailed reconstructions of westerly airflow from targeted Southern Ocean isl ....Investigating the synchroneity of global atmospheric shifts in the Holocene. The austral mid-latitude westerly winds dominate Southern Hemisphere climate variability today (including the Australasian region) and are tightly coupled to the Southern Ocean, modulating the air-sea CO2 flux. However, short instrumental records in the south make future climate projections uncertain. This Project will develop the first highly-detailed reconstructions of westerly airflow from targeted Southern Ocean islands during key periods of change, representing a range of climate states over the Holocene (the last 11,650 yrs). Intensive radiocarbon dating will allow precise alignment to a network of palaeoclimate records to test the timing, drivers and impacts of circulation change across Australia and globally.Read moreRead less
Unlocking the environmental archives of the Kimberley’s past. This project aims to reconstruct the environmental history of Australia’s Kimberley region spanning the past 60,000 years. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project will provide new understanding of the causes of environmental change and impacts on this region since the arrival of Australia’s earliest inhabitants. This will inform the development of conservation policy to ensure preservation of the region's globally significan ....Unlocking the environmental archives of the Kimberley’s past. This project aims to reconstruct the environmental history of Australia’s Kimberley region spanning the past 60,000 years. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the project will provide new understanding of the causes of environmental change and impacts on this region since the arrival of Australia’s earliest inhabitants. This will inform the development of conservation policy to ensure preservation of the region's globally significant rock art against environmental change and economic development.
Read moreRead less